10 Characteristics of Biblical Justice
This week I spoke (online) at a church in California. They had assigned me the topic of biblical justice which ended up being a good excuse to think about what we might actually mean by that phrase.
Often, in my observation, there's a certain kind of Christian who talks about biblical justice so as to assure other (nervous) Christians that they're not dabbling in social justice. (Why that certain kind of Christian is nervous about social justice is a newsletter for another day.)
But despite this strange use of the word "biblical" to limit what is meant by justice, I am a Christian and one those for-real-for-real Bible-believing ones at that, so it seems reasonable that there could be some constructive ways of thinking about how the Bible helps us imagine justice. I ended up sharing ten characteristics of biblical justice with the California church, and I'm going to share them again here in a condensed form. Mostly I'm interested in what you think I missed. What's another characteristic that should be on the list?
OK, without further ado, here's my list along with a scripture or two for each.
1. Justice is God's idea. (Deuteronomy 16:20) Justice might be new for some, but it's been God's idea since the beginning.
2. Justice is affirmed by Jesus. (Luke 4:18-19) For lot's of good reasons, most of the Bible's direct language about justice is found in the Old Testament. It doesn't take long, though, to see how Jesus affirms his Father's expectations that his people will seek justice.
3. Justice begins in worship. (Isaiah 5:16) Christians who've only recently woken up to the biblical concern for justice can easily miss the connection with worship. Don't be that person.
4. Justice demonstrates God’s sovereignty. (Deuteronomy 4:40) God desires that all of the creation would flourish under a people living justly. When we live that way, we are demonstrating God's caring sovereignty over the world.
5. Justice is social. (Exodus 23:6; Leviticus 25:1-5) That Leviticus passage is one of my favorites in the Bible. No, really! Here we see that God's understanding of justice is one that includes all of the social fabric of the creation. Individuals matter but, biblically speaking, you can't engage the individual outside of their social situation.
6. Justice prioritizes the truth. (Exodus 23:1-3; John 14:6) Christians will refuse to prioritize the comfort over the truth. (Which ends up being a lot harder than it sounds.)
7. Justice prioritizes the oppressed. (Exodus 20:9-10) I'm always amazed that the sabbath commandment includes "your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns." Those who were most vulnerable to exploitation were given the same weekly gift of non-productive rest. Could our own society be any more different?
8. Justice humbles the powerful. (Matthew 23:23-24) This privileged white man has way too many stories to illustrate this one.
9. Justice is a normal part of the gospel-anchored life. (Matthew 19:8-10) Zacchaeus is so instructive: confession and repentance lead him to do justice. Justice is not occasional for the Christian, but wrapped up in the normal stuff of the gospel on which we depend daily.
10. Justice leads to reconciliation. (Romans 3:25-26; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19) What does justice have to do with reconciliation/forgiveness? is a question I've been asked way too many times. Those of us who are rooted in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus understand the importance of justice being satisfied for genuine reconciliation to be accomplished.
All right, that's my very incomplete list. I'm curious to know what you'd add.
My friend Reggie sent me this fantastic conversation between three Christian scholars - Dr. Korie Edwards, Dr. Nathan Cartagena, and Dr. Emmett G. Price - about Critical Race Theory.
If you've been hearing the chatter about CRT or have been accused of being a Marxist because of your concern for racial justice, this conversation is well worth your time.